Carrier Sense (CS) is an integral part of many modern WLAN (e.g. WiFi) networks. Fundamentally, Wi-Fi is a multiple access link, which means that it is shared and requires vastly different protocol design and architecture than a point to point circuit. In addition, random access to the medium is distributed across all stations on the network. WiFi does not currently pass tokens, reserve the medium with bit-mappings, or use any other control mechanisms dictating which stations have access to transmit. This distributed nature makes carrier sense (and subsequent medium contention) core components of network operation and efficiency.
As networks and devices continue to evolve, different types of devices and networks may be required to coexist. For example, low power devices and networks (e.g. sensor devices, networks and the like) may coexist with high power devices and networks (e.g. cellular phones, networks and the like). In these situations, it may be important to manage clear channel assessment (CCA) detection thresholds to improve system efficiency and to prevent high power devices and networks from interfering with the performance and reliability of low power devices and networks. Other embodiments are described and claimed.